Research Interests:

Climate Change, Biogeography, and Local Adaptation

The Sanford Lab is interested in how marine populations and communities vary in response to both natural oceanographic variation and anthropogenic climate change. Our research seeks to integrate ecology, evolution, and biogeography to understand the processes that shape marine communities: both over large distances along coastlines, and in an era of accelerating climate change. We seek mechanistic understanding of these processes through coordinated field and laboratory experiments centered at Bodega Marine Laboratory. Much of our work focuses on marine intertidal communities, where organisms and their interactions are diverse and easily studied.

Ongoing research projects lie primarily in three areas:

Local adaptation in marine species

The regulation of species’ geographic range limits

The influence of climate change and ocean acidification on marine communities

Local adaptation in marine species

Marine species are often distributed over thousands of kilometers of coastline and thus separate populations can experience strikingly different environments. However, we know surprisingly little about the extent to which environmental variation shapes evolutionary differences among populations of marine species. Our recent experiments have documented regional variation in the capacity of a predatory snail (Nucella canaliculata) to drill thick-shelled mussels. These differences in drilling capacity have a genetic basis and appear to reflect local adaption to variation in prey recruitment in California versus Oregon. Our results suggest that geographic mosaics of selection imposed by persistent oceanographic variation can shape adaptive differentiation among populations of marine species in adjacent coastal regions. We are continuing to combine field studies, laboratory experiments, and analyses of molecular markers (microsatellites) to investigate (1) the scale at which adaptive differentiation occurs in marine species, and (2) the ecological consequences of these patterns, in a variety of organisms including snails, tidepool copepods, bryozoans, and oysters.

The regulation of species' geographic range limits

What climatic and biological factors set geographic range limits and to what extent can these boundaries be overcome through adaptation and/or phenotypic plasticity? What ecological and evolutionary processes facilitate or impede range extensions? In New England, we have used larval rearing experiments and field studies to identify the factors that maintain the northern range limit of the mud fiddler crab (Uca pugnax) near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In California, we are addressing related questions with the volcano barnacle (Tetraclita rubescens), a species that has undergone a range extension along the coast of northern California during the past 25 years. Other projects in the lab are investigating geographic range boundaries using the tidepool copepod Tigriopus californicus, and the limpet Lottia insessa (a specialist herbivore on the feather boa kelp Egregia menziesii).

The influence of climate change and ocean acidification on marine communities

Thermal tolerance, species interactions, and climate change

Many predictions have focused on how climate change might impact species through the direct effects of environmental stress on demographic rates. These models treat species as independent units and often neglect the fact that organisms are embedded within complex webs of interacting species. We are intrigued by the possibility that some of the most immediate and important impacts of climate change could arise through changes in key species interactions. Using field and laboratory experiments, we have shown that the effect of a keystone predator, the sea star Pisaster ochraceus, is influenced by small changes in ocean temperature (~3°C). Thus, long-term shifts in cold-water upwelling patterns could generate community-level effects through impacts on this keystone predator. More recently, we have also investigated how the feeding and growth of Pisaster is influenced by exposure to aerial conditions during low tide. In other projects, we are examining the extent to which populations of marine species (including intertidal snails and copepods) are locally adapted to biogeographic variation in temperature. This work includes the use of selection experiments to test the capacity of tidepool copepods to adapt to future increases in temperature.

Above: Sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus) feeding on mussels.

Bodega Ocean Acidification Research (BOAR)

In collaboration with Drs. Brian Gaylord, Tessa Hill, and Ann Russell, we are examining the influence of ocean acidification on ecologically and economically important species in northern California. Our interdisciplinary research program combines moored and shipboard measurements of seawater chemistry with laboratory and field studies of the biological effects of ocean acidification. Our experiments on the native oyster (Ostrea lurida) and California mussel (Mytilus californianus) indicate that larvae and juveniles of these important foundation species may be quite vulnerable to decreasing pH and changes in the calcium carbonate saturation state.

Above: System at BML to manipulate CO2 in larval cultures (left), and magnified view of oyster larvae (right).

Our BOAR team is also part of a broader consortium called the Ocean Margin Ecosystems Group for Acidification Studies (OMEGAS). OMEGAS is an interdisciplinary consortium of researchers from 7 institutions studying ocean acidification along the coasts of California and Oregon. Recent results from a selection experiment conducted at BML suggests that purple sea urchin populations possess standing genetic variation that may confer some resilience to ocean acidification.

The location of Bodega Marine Laboratory within a major upwelling center, and the lab's research strengths in coastal oceanography (Bodega Ocean Observing Node), make this an ideal place to explore links between oceanographic processes and the dynamics of benthic marine communities. In addition to understanding the effects of changing temperature and ocean chemistry, our lab continues to be interested in how variation in bottom-up forces affects invertebrate reproduction, recruitment, and growth.

EVE 112/112L. Biology of Invertebrates (Winter 2010 and alternate years; co-taught with Rick Grosberg.) Survey of the major invertebrate phyla focusing on form and function, ecology, and phylogenetic relationships. Are you intrigued by corals, octopus, barnacles, and sea urchins? This is the course for you! (3-unit lecture course; 2-unit lab that emphasizes study of live animals, 2 field trips)

EVE 101. Introduction to Ecology (co-taught in alternate years.) A survey of the general principles of ecology. (4-unit lecture/discussion course)

EVE 114. Experimental Invertebrate Biology.Want to learn more about the remarkable diversity of tidepool animals that make their home on the rugged northern California coast? This is the course that you have been looking for! We will cover the biology, ecology, and evolution of local marine invertebrates with a focus on adaptations to environmental and biological factors encountered on the California coast. This course offers hands-on field and laboratory components with an emphasis on testing hypotheses that we generate as a class. Short class projects provide students with practical experience in all aspects of the scientific process including making observations, generating hypotheses, designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and scientific writing (3-units lecture/field/lab).

This course is offered each year during Summer Session I. Note that students often take this course at the same time as Brian Gaylord’s Mechanical Design in Organisms (EVE 106). These two courses complement each other very well.

BIS 124. Coastal Marine Research. In this 3-unit course, students pursue independent research projects related to either EVE 106 (Mechanical Design in Organisms) or EVE 114 (Experimental Invertebrate Biology). You will receive training in all phases of the scientific process from experimental design to data analysis to communication of results.

EVE 111. Marine Environmental Issues (co-taught with Brian Gaylord) This 1-unit course is built around readings and informal discussions related to marine conservation and major environmental issues in coastal waters. Topics include the impacts of climate change, invasive species, and overfishing.

Current Graduate Students:

I am broadly interested in global change and the ecology of the oceans in a high CO2 world. My dissertation research is focused on local adaptation and spatially variable organismal response to future ocean acidification. Numerous recent experiments have documented the potential impacts of increasing ocean acidity on calcifying organisms. However, these organismal responses often vary among different taxonomic groups and even among individuals in a single species. The evolutionary basis for this variability remains largely unexplored. Using bryozoans, a unique group of calcifying colonial invertebrates, I am investigating how coastal upwelling and patterns of gene flow may shape the response of populations to elevated pCO2 in the future. As a member of the REACH (Responding to Rapid Environmental Change) interdisciplinary IGERT training program at UC Davis, I am also interested in connecting ecological findings to practical conservation decision-making, and I have taken a leadership role in collaborative research projects in agricultural landscapes, invaded riparian habitat, coral reef systems, and the deep sea.

My broad interests are in human impacts on ecosystems, ecosystem structure and functioning, conservation, and restoration ecology. I am particularly interested in the effects of climate change on nearshore marine ecosystems such as estuaries, rocky intertidal zones, kelp forests, and coral reefs. My current research focuses on whether populations of marine invertebrates are locally adapted to their environments and whether local adaptation will make them more or less vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors. Specifically, I am investigating whether populations of Olympia oysters, the only native oyster species on the West Coast, are locally adapted to their home estuaries. My work focuses on whether populations of oysters from three different California estuaries have evolved different responses to abiotic factors expected to change with climate change, such as temperature, salinity, and carbonate chemistry. In addition to conducting research, I also have a passion for teaching and communicating science to diverse audiences.

My interests are largely focused on understanding how human-induced climate change and natural environmental variation impact ecosystems. I am broadly interested in how ecosystem function is linked to and altered by environmental stressors, biogeography, plasticity, and adaptation. As a new graduate student, I anticipate my work may fall within a variety of coastal ecosystems including intertidal, rocky shore, and estuarine. I would like to investigate whether factors such as geographic range distribution and phenotypic plasticity modulate how different species within the same community respond to climate change. Education and science communication are both a passion and priority for me, particularly in relation to fostering minority participation and success within research science.

Graduate students in Joint Doctoral Program with SDSU

Ryan Jenkinson
B.S. Humboldt State University
M.A. Humboldt State University
Ph.D. candidate, Joint Doctoral Program in Ecology

I am in the Joint Doctoral Program in Ecology, working in Dr. Kevin Hovels’ lab at SDSU. My research has focused on understanding how species interactions can vary in intensity and even outcome over geographic space, how this can lead to spatial variation in ecological communities, and how that might impact conservation and management decisions. In particular I am measuring how three predator species – California sheephead (Semicossyphus pulchur), California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus), and sunflower stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) – impact sea urchin density and behavior, and in turn the abundance of giant kelp (Macrocystis), over the entire geographic range in which these species interact from Point Conception, California south through central Baja near Punta Eugenia, Mexico.

I am in the Joint Doctoral program in Ecology. I am a part of Dr. Jeremy Long’s lab at SDSU. I am interested in chemically-mediated behaviors among marine organisms, how these interactions affect community structure and ecosystem function, and whether chemical signaling between predators and prey is disrupted by anthropogenic pollutants. I combine ecological and toxicological perspectives to address these issues using laboratory and field experiments. My current research investigates the behavioral and physiological effects of sub-lethal concentrations of pollutants (e.g, heavy metals and pyrethroid insecticides) on species interactions in San Francisco Bay. I am examining whether pollutants influence the relative impacts of trait-mediated indirect interactions (TMII) and density-mediated indirect interactions (DMII) in tri-trophic systems. My goal is to bridge the fields of ecology and toxicology for a more encompassing understanding of the impacts of pollutants in the environment. In addition to research, I also enjoy teaching students about conducting science in classroom, laboratory, and field settings.

Research Technicians

Kelly Laughlin
B.S. in Ecology, B.S. in Biology, University of Georgia

As a research technician for BOAR, I work in the Sanford, Gaylord, and Hill Labs on a variety of ocean acidification projects. I am interested in marine conservation, population genetics, and studying changes in natural communities over time. I'm currently looking into graduate programs in which I'll be able to utilize my backgrounds in ecology and genetics to study and influence conservation policy.

I am looking for bright and enthusiastic students who are fascinated by the ecology and evolution of marine organisms. The Sanford Lab offers opportunities for students at all levels.

Undergraduate Students:

There are often research opportunities available for motivated UC Davis undergraduates interested in working in the Sanford Lab. The students who pursue these opportunities often do so after having taken one or more of my courses. If you have a solid academic record, enjoy working hard, and think you might like to get involved, feel free to contact me.

Graduate Students:

I welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students. The Sanford Lab is based full-time at Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML) and accepts students through either the Graduate Group in Ecology or the Population Biology Graduate Group. Entering students generally spend their first year on campus completing coursework and then move to the coast to become full-time residents at BML.

I enjoy working with students who share interests with me, but I am also committed to training students who are independent thinkers and creative scientists. Thus, I expect my students to develop and pursue an exciting thesis of their own design (with my input and encouragement, of course!).

Experimental field studies are the backbone of my research and I urge students to test hypotheses in the field whenever possible. This is easily done given our location within the Bodega Marine Reserve and our proximity to many other superb field sites along the California coast. I am also convinced of the power of complementary lab studies, and the outstanding seawater facilities at BML create opportunities for a variety of larval rearing and mesocosm experiments. I encourage students to take an integrative approach to their research and to seek training in other disciplines where appropriate. For example, I am very interested in how physiology and population genetics can inform ecological and evolutionary questions and I welcome students with interests in developing skills in these areas.

Research Interests:

Climate Change, Biogeography, and Local Adaptation

The Sanford Lab is interested in how marine populations and communities vary in response to both natural oceanographic variation and anthropogenic climate change. Our research seeks to integrate ecology, evolution, and biogeography to understand the processes that shape marine communities: both over large distances along coastlines, and in an era of accelerating climate change. We seek mechanistic understanding of these processes through coordinated field and laboratory experiments centered at Bodega Marine Laboratory. Much of our work focuses on marine intertidal communities, where organisms and their interactions are diverse and easily studied.

Ongoing research projects lie primarily in three areas:

Local adaptation in marine species

The regulation of species’ geographic range limits

The influence of climate change and ocean acidification on marine communities